Coal

A circuit court ruling issued last Friday regarding potential mining in Wyoming may provide ammunition to groups challenging environmental reviews of oil, gas and coal leases for not considering the impacts on climate change.

Consol Energy Inc. announced Tuesday that it has lowered 2017 exploration and production (E&P) division guidance to 405-415 Bcfe from the previous range of 420-440 Bcfe, citing a variety of reasons for the reduction.

Cheap and abundant natural gas is the primary driver of coal and nuclear power plant retirements in the United States, but other factors, including stagnant growth in electricity demand, have contributed to the trend, according to a report by the Department of Energy (DOE).

Natural gas is on track this year to see the largest drop in its share of U.S. electric generation in over a decade, highlighting the price sensitivity of power burn as gas competes with renewables in the years to come, according to an analysis by Raymond James & Associates.

West Virginia’s severance tax collections for the 2017 fiscal year (FY) that ended last month came in at more than $321 million to finish $58.5 million above estimates for the period and 16% higher than 2016 receipts, which marked a low point not seen in years for the line-item.

After years of working to rebuild the core of its business to evolve around natural gas production, Consol Energy Inc. said Tuesday that a subsidiary has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to spin-off its remaining coal assets into a separate publicly-traded company.

Mississippi Power Co.’s “clean coal” facility in Kemper County, MS, may end up only burning natural gas after state regulators took steps this week to prevent cost recovery for the “unproven” coal gasifier and carbon capture facilities.

Power producers in states across the nation’s midsection told a survey that decreased demand in the region will lead to a surplus through 2022, and that natural gas will account for a significant portion of new base load capacity, based on the fuel’s success rate over the past five years.

In the midst of a historic budget impasse, West Virginia’s severance tax collections have again provided a glimmer of light, as higher natural gas prices and more coal sales in May helped push state revenue 20% above projections to $350.4 million.